The 1978 United States House of Representatives elections was an election for the United States House of Representatives on November 7, 1978, to elect members to serve in the 96th United States Congress. They occurred in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term, amidst an energy crisis and rapid inflation. The Democratic Party lost a net of 15 seats to the Republican Party, and thus lost their two-thirds supermajority, but still maintained a large 277-seat majority. As of 2025, this was the last midterm election where the Democrats managed to maintain a majority in the House of Representatives under a Democratic president and the last midterm election in which a registered third party member was elected.

Overall results

382 incumbent members sought reelection, but 5 were defeated in primaries and 19 defeated in the general election for a total of 358 incumbents winning. Source: Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk

Special elections

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Wisconsin

✅ Les Aspin (Democratic) 54.5% William W. Petrie (Republican) 45.5% ✅ Robert Kastenmeier (Democratic) 57.7% James A. Wright (Republican) 41.3% Dick G. Fields (Independent) 1.0% ✅ Alvin Baldus (Democratic) 62.8% Michael Steven Ellis (Republican) 37.2% ✅ Clement J. Zablocki (Democratic) 66.1% Elroy C. Honadel (Republican) 33.9% ✅ Henry S. Reuss (Democratic) 73.1% James R. W. Medina (Republican) 25.9% Paul Greenberg (Independent) 0.7% John Edward Sokoly (Independent) 0.3% ✅ William A. Steiger (Republican) 69.6% Robert J. Steffes (Democratic) 29.6% Gordon Ponschock (Con) 0.8% ✅ Dave Obey (Democratic) 62.2% Vinton A. Vesta (Republican) 36.9% George Olishkewych (Con) 0.9% ✅ Toby Roth (Republican) 57.9% Robert John Cornell (Democratic) 42.1% ✅ Jim Sensenbrenner (Republican) 61.2% Matthew J. Flynn (Democratic) 38.8%

Wyoming